The four of them came to a stop behind the leader and Tad. Valda looked around, wondering what they were waiting for, expecting to see other riders or possibly a patrol. But they were the only ones outside the fence.

With no warning, the fence broke apart and rope, thicker than her body, lowered that section to the ground. Seams, that she hadn't noticed, had concealed the drawbridge, blending it in perfectly with the rest of the fence.

Carrick whistled in appreciation.

"Yes, it is a rather marvellous piece of design if I do say so myself." Niamh admired her handiwork whilst Carrick looked at her, impressed.

"This was your design?"

"I was always more skilled with my tools than with my sword." Suddenly, she turned to look sharply at them. "But I could still disarm you where you stand if you ever attempt to hurt anyone in this stronghold, understand?"

Wordlessly, they all nodded, unhinged with her sudden change of mood.

As quick as Niamh's mood changed, it changed back, and she smiled. "Good." She spoke before pushing her horse into a canter across the drawbridge.

Tad fell back to take her place whilst she rode alongside the leader. "Don't mind Niamh, she can be a bit... changeable, but she is brilliant." Possibly sensing that he hadn't made them feel any easier, he was quick to try again. "Once we get you to the General, he'll be able to sort this all out. Don't you worry."

"Tad, I wish you wouldn't talk to our prisoners like that!" The helmet clad Boyd shouted again. He seemed to only have only one volume, and that was loud.

"They are not prisoners until the General says they are."

Valda and the rest followed Niamh, not wishing to get involved with the growing argument behind them. Whether or not they were prisoners really didn't make much of a difference in that moment.

Armed lookouts eyed them up as they passed under the fence, some looked interested whilst others sneered in their direction. Noting Valda's unusual clothes and the general grubbiness that seemed to cling to all of them after their journey through the tunnel.

People stared at them from every available door and window. A mixture of men, women and children all seemed to be housed inside the stronghold, living on top of each other in a hodgepodge of buildings.

They passed groups of young people, training with weapons, stabbing odd looking dolls on sticks. Passed forges were men and women, their faces covered in sweat and soot, worked with liquid metals and hammers.

Hundreds and hundreds of faces, so many they blurred together until they were just shadows surrounding them.

"General." The leader called out, dropping from his horse and saluting. "We have brought the stragglers."

Valda expected the General to be a hulking behemoth of man but what they got was someone entirely different. The General was about as tall as Carrick, with a firm jaw and narrow face. He was even less imposing than Niamh with his skinny frame and hunched shoulders. But intelligence flickered in his brown eyes as they roamed over their faces.

"My Prince and Princess," he gushed, rushing forward and embracing Carrick and Mauve like old friends. "How did you manage to escape?"

Carrick patted his back with familiarity. "It's a long story."

"So they really are the Prince and Princess?" Boyd leaned over, inspecting them further, though his helmet hid his expression.

"Of course they are." The General shook his head in disbelief.

"Then who are these other two?"

All eyes turned to look at Valda and Tevin. Boyd pushed them both forward, making Valda stumble and Tevin's hood fall.

Shouts rang out as Tevin's identity became clear, and the General drew his sword. "Traitor."

The leader and his group drew their weapons, all aimed at Tevin. A few of the other bystanders also raised their hands as if to beat him.

Without thinking about it, Valda and the others reacted. Tevin and Carrick drew their weapons whilst Valda and Mauve readied to deploy their magic. They stood back to back, monitoring the uneasy crowd surrounding them.

"If you want to attack him, you'll have to go through us first!" Carrick shouted out, drawing his weapon closer, ready to strike.

The General paused, lowering his blade. "But Sire, the boy is a traitor?"

But Mauve shook her head. "He's the reason we're alive. He saved us from his father and his men. We owe him our lives."

"The blood of Blaan has no reason to be here, we should execute him where he stands." The leader roared out to a chorus of agreements.

The General looked around, noticing the eager expressions on his people's faces. It had been so long since they'd had good news. Dealing with a traitor would be good for morale. Still, he would never want to upset the Prince and Princess.

"Now, Arlie, let's all just calm down here. Nothing has been proven, and the Prince and Princess have vouched for him." The General looked at the leader, noticing his rigid frame.

There was a tense moment where everyone watched the two figures, wondering who would concede first. In the end, the leader lowered his sword and stepped back.

"Very well, General." The words were controlled, with only a hint of bitterness.

The General nodded, satisfied. "Good, now everyone back to work. Don't worry, we'll iron out this misunderstanding." He smiled good naturedly at the confused crowd, watching as they wandered away, some still keeping a close eye on Valda and the others.

Their acceptance made the General pleased, and he turned back to Carrick with a calm smile still on his lips.

"It sounds as if you have a story to tell us, Sire. Follow me to my office and we'll get you all some nice food and a hot drink. Arlie, if you'd be so kind to accompany us. The rest of your team can go back to their posts." The General started walking forward and Carrick and Mauve were quick to catch up.

Valda and Tevin were slower, still uncomfortable with the way their previous guides were looking at them. They seemed to wait for something, and it wasn't until Arlie dismissed them that Valda understood what.

The General may have been the commander of the stronghold, but it appeared this rag-tag group of individuals only took their orders from Arlie. Who looked less than pleased to be accompanying them.

"Now you see here, this is where we house the cattle and the rest of the livestock. Of course they can wander outside the fence usually, but we had sightings of dragons earlier and brought them in for their safety." The General kept sprouting fact after fact about the stronghold. Of course, none of them mentioned they had in fact been riding the dragons. That detail would be better said without the many eyes watching their every move.

Valda tried to pay attention, but there was too much to look at. This was the first time she was truly seeing the people of Lania, and it wasn't quite what she had imagined.

The people looked tired, their eyes shifted in their sockets, swivelling as if looking for an attack or a way out. Gaunt faces and bodies dressed in clothing, that was barely better than rags, were everywhere. It was the first true sign that all was not okay, and it made Valda's skin itch.

A large wooden structure seemed to be the most prominent building and their ultimate destination. It was set away from the other structures almost as if it was surveying them, maybe checking that they all confirmed to some unknown standard?

Warmth enveloped them as they stepped through the door. Soft light, provided by wall mounted candles, lit their way through a maze of large open rooms and narrow corridors. Rugs carpeted their feet and tapestries hung from the walls, all of which seemed to depict a castle.

With a start, Valda realised they must represent the artist's view of Lania. Once she realised this, she slowed to take in the details, but before she could stop she felt a hard prod in the lower of her back.

"Move it." Arlie growled out, giving both Valda and Tevin a stern look. And even with most of his face concealed, it was still scary enough that they both kept walking.

Not being able to focus on the tapestries was hard, but Valda contented herself with looking at the people they were passing. There was no sign of gaunt faces or ragged clothing here, instead they wore fine clothing and their necks were encrusted with sparkling jewellery.

They bowed gracefully when the General, Carrick and Mauve, passed but turned cold when Tevin and Valda followed. The rebuff was clear on their faces. Whilst they were happy to see the Prince and Princess of Lania, they would not lower themselves for anyone else. And they had already judged Tevin and Valda and found them lacking.

"Right through here." The General withdrew a key from around his neck and opened the door, ushering them all in, his eyes lingering on Valda and Tevin a second too long. "Arlie, why don't you light that fire."

Arlie only looked wordlessly at the General for a few seconds before walking towards the fire.

Before the General could say another word, a little girl only about seven years old appeared by the door. She wore a small white pinny that looked as though it had seen better days, and her hair was plated on either side of her head. It seemed to take all her strength to walk into the room, but still she stepped forward and bowed as best she could.

"General, y-you've returned. I-is there anything-g I can g-get you?" She stuttered out, showing off the gap in her teeth.

The General was less than pleased with the interruption but still managed a small smile. "Ahh, there you are, Etna. Yes, please fetch a teapot large enough for six with accompanying cups. There's a dear."

Little Etna gulped at the large order, bowed, and then dashed from the room.

"Let's make ourselves more comfortable." The General took the head position at the elongated table, his back to the fire.

Carrick sat on his left, with Mauve on his right, leaving Valda and Tevin to find seats further down the table. Arlie, unhappy with sitting, remained standing to the side of the fire to have the perfect view of the room.

A clattering sounded behind them as Etna struggled, her arms ladened with a tray. Valda could see the catastrophe before it happened. The little girl caught her foot on the rug and stumbled forward, losing her grip on the tray.

Before she could think about what she was doing, Valda used her air magic to stop the tray from crashing to the floor. She moved quickly, lifting the tray into her arms before her spell collapsed.

Etna's mouth was open wide, and there was complete silence from the others behind Valda. Arlie was the first to break the silence.

"That isn't possible."

Valda realised her mistake in that moment. Only High Fae could perform magic. Braving herself for what was coming, she turned and put the tray on the table, retaking her seat at the same time.

Etna snapped out of her gawking and began pouring the tea, her tiny arms shaking with the effort of lifting the teapot.

"Let me do that. You can pass everyone their glass." Valda didn't wait for the little girl to refuse. She took the pot and filled the cups, noticing the green tinge that clung to the liquid.

It took Etna a few more seconds before she took the first filled glasses and passed them to Tevin and Mauve. As she got to the General, he grabbed her hand once she'd set down his cup.

"You do not mention a word about this Etna, do you understand?" His voice was sharp as he stared down his pointed nose at the little girl.

Etna visibly shrunk away from him. "Y-yes, General." She got out before scampering away once he realised her.

Soon after, they all had steaming cups of tea in front of them. The General had remained studiously silent until Etna left the room, closing the door behind her.

"I think you'd better start your story now, Sire." The General linked his hands and brought them to rest under his chin. He appeared to be the image of relaxed, but the small tick in his eye suggested otherwise.

Carrick looked at the others, hoping for some help, but they just looked at him with encouraging looks. Sighing and silently cursing his friends, he began recounting their journey.

At points, the General's face would go slack with shock before he quickly masked his emotions. Still, his eyes continued to flick to Valda again and again as her history became known.

Valda found his intense expression difficult to look at, especially when his eyes connected with hers. Instead, she watched Tevin, seeing the growing discomfort float across his face as Carrick laid bare everything they'd been through.

Maybe it was Tevin's uneasiness getting to her, or maybe it was her own worries, but Valda wondered whether they should share all this information. She tried to console herself with the fact Mauve and Carrick obviously knew the man and deemed him worthy. But try as she may, the doubts still niggled at her.

"Well, that certainly is quite a tale." The General leaned back in his chair regarding them with his keen eyes.

"Still, there can be no arguments of it being false. After all, we all saw the girl's powers." Arlie was quick to intercede.

The General only smiled benignly at her. "Of course the girl's powers prove she is of high status, but there is no way to tell if she is the daughter of Queen Orlaigh. At least that is how people will see it. Of course, I completely believe the young Sire's story, it's just there are so few tangible facts."

"Hagen, I will stand in front of the people myself and swear to it that Valda is the rightful heir to Lania's throne. I will make them believe me," Carrick stated.

"Of course, Sire. I meant no disrespect against your words. But I also wonder if we should tell them at all." Everyone looked confused, except for Arlie who only stared at the General, waiting for him to explain. "You see, if we tell the stronghold then Valda's safety could be in jeopardy."

"And how would that be?" Tevin clenched his hands, where they rested on his lap, his tea barely touched in front of him.

The General's lips thinned in displeasure at Tevin, but still he answered. "I'm afraid that we may have spies within the stronghold and should Lorcan discover the existence of young Valda here, well, the consequences would be unthinkable." He looked gravely round the table, making sure everyone understood exactly what he meant.

"Then Valda should remain a secret?" Carrick looked over at her in sympathy. The others also glanced at her with worried eyes.

It seemed foolish to feel sorry for herself when her lineage had been a secret her entire life, but now Valda was embracing it she wanted others to know. It felt almost shameful to hide it.

"I'm afraid until we can be sure of her safety it is best for everyone that her identity be concealed." With those last words, he rose and motioned for Arlie to step forward. "Please take our new guests to their quarters so they may rest until lunch."

It was clear Carrick wanted to stay and talk some more, but Valda and Tevin were quick to jump out of their seats. They'd spent more than enough time in the man's company, and whilst he seemed agreeable to their presence, something didn't feel right to both of them.

"We will speak again soon, young Prince, but first you must rest." The General waved them off easily as if just ticking another thing off his to do list before he settled back down to business.

The four of them followed behind Arlie as they wove back through corridors and up another flight of stairs. They halted as he pointed out a door on one side of the corridor.

"There isn't much room, so you will have to share a bedroom. Boys, your sleeping quarters are through there."

"And what about the girls?" Tevin asked stubbornly, not liking them all being separated. They may have only been travelling together for a few days, but he'd never bonded with people before. Being far apart made him nervous.

"What's it to you, blood of Blaan? Be grateful you're sleeping here and not with the cows." Arlie cursed out.

Tevin went to argue, but Carrick just grabbed his shoulder and marched him into their room.

"We'll see you girls soon." He got out before shutting the door.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Mauve looked worriedly at the door, but their conversation was interrupted before Valda could reassure her.

"Let's move it, girls. I don't have all day."

They both hurried to catch up with Arlie as he disappeared around yet another corner.

"And this is where you two will stay." Arlie pushed open the door, allowing Mauve and Valda to enter.

"Wow, this is..." Valda trailed off. Everything was clearly wooden, but the floors were polished and the walls were painted in beautiful murals. A fire was already roaring in the stone fireplace, making the room warm and inviting.

"Well, you are a Princess." As Arlie moved forward the material covering his face became tangled in the coat stand by the door. Immediately the material was yanked back and flowing brown hair spilled down Arlie's back.

Valda and Mauve gasped as Arlie's face came into view. "You're a girl." Was the first thing Mauve could think to say before clamping her mouth shut when she realised how rude she was being.

"So what if I am?" Arlie grumbled out, yanking the material back around her face with nibble fingers.

"Nothing. I mean, I just didn't think, I didn't know." Mauve looked at Valda for help, but there was nothing to save her from the hole she was digging herself into.

"Yeah well sometimes it's just easier pretending to be a boy when everyone already thinks you are one."

And Valda could understand why they would. Arlie's voice was deep, perhaps not as deep as most males, but just deep enough to pass as one for a short period. She was tall, taller than Carrick, with big built arms and legs.

All in all, Valda thought, she resembled a weightlifter. And with her face concealed, she was easily mistakable for a man.

"Just a word of warning between us girls." Arlie raised her eyebrow as Mauve looked away guiltily. "I wouldn't trust everything the General says."

"But Hagen is a decorated hero. He's one of the Queen's most trusted advisors," Mauve argued.

But Arlie only shrugged her shoulders. "Trust him, don't trust him, that's your choice. But I'm giving you some good advice. Stay on the right side of him." With that said she turned to leave but Valda walked after her.

"What do you want?" Arlie looked back at Valda.

"To repay your favour and give you some good advice."

It almost looked like Arlie might have cracked a smile. "And what advice would that be?"

"Don't judge Tevin on who his father is. He's been through things and I promise you he's not the man you think he is. Just give him a chance."

Arlie's eyebrows disappeared into the material covering her forehead. "Maybe." With that, she turned, heading back down the corridor.

Valda shut the door behind her as Mauve kicked off her shoes and laid out on the bed.

"I call first dibs on a bath." Mauve singsonged, tugging at the rope beside her bed.

Valda only shook her head and went to inspect her own bed, practically sinking into the soft mattress and fluffy pillows. She had no idea how they'd found such luxurious items on the mountainside, but she wasn't complaining as she settled down for an early morning nap.